If the words of Pervez Musharraf, former President of Pakistan, are to be believed, Pakistan is planning more terrorist attacks against India like the ones that happened at Pathankot and Uri this year. In an exclusive interview to Thanthi TV, a 24X7 Tamil News Channel, the former President of Pakistan blamed India for the attacks as he accused it of manipulating the United Nations and projecting Kashmir as it’s own territory.
Musharraf said the United Nations is silent on Kashmir because the Secretary General was guarding his own interests with India “or whatever pressure he has”. “Which Secretary General of UN can deny that Kashmir is a UN disputeIJ I mean that is a joke,” said the former Army chief. He also claimed that the terrorists including the Taliban operating out of Pakistan were not anti-Pakistan.
To a question by Hariharan, executive editor, Thanthi News, on the number of terrorist attacks against India by Pakistan sponsored terrorists, Musharraf retorted that till India agreed that the Kashmir issue was a bilateral issue between the two countries, there would be more Pathankots and Uris. “Hasn’t Burhan Wani been killedIJ Haven’t 80 people been killed and thousands injured and hasn’t the Kashmir issue not been resolved. Why don’t you go to the core of the problemIJ” asked Musharraf and said India has to understand the ground reality.
“That environment has to be accepted as a reality, because of what you are doing in Kashmir and the unresolved Kashmir dispute.
“Therefore, Pathankots and Uris will keep happening. One has to understand this reality and accept it,” he said even as he accepted the fact that Pakistan has been to a certain extent isolated globally.
What is interesting is that Musharraf reiterated of more attacks similar to Pathankot and Uri elsewhere in the interview. When he was reminded of terrorist attacks against India by Pakistan based terrorists he replied that India should relaise that there was a dispute which causes emotions to rise.
“It does justify because of what the Indian Army does in Kashmir where killings have taken place, what happens to people. People then run to Pakistan, they rise against Indians.. This is what has been happening all along. High time we see this reality. If we don’t ,then these things will keep happening. Pathankot and Uri will keep happening,” he said.
Interestingly, the former President feigned ignorance when asked about the whereabouts of dreaded don Dawood Ibrahim.
“I am not in touch with his whereabouts at all,” said Musharraf who refused to answer the question whether the fugitive don was residing in Pakistan at any point of time.
But Musharraf said Dawood was respected in Pakitan. “He will be respected. Because what happened in Bombay, what happened in Gujarat were 200 muslims were killed... as a reaction whatever he does, it resonates well with people,” said the former President.
He also described the terrorists of lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaiesh-e-Mohammed as “volunteers” who sprang up to fight the Indian Army in Kashmir as a follow up to the request made by people from the Indian side of the Kashmir.